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Lesson Plans


Re: art shows

From: Mark Alexander (malexander06)
Date: Tue Mar 07 2000 - 19:04:55 PST

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    I feel proper tags with titles attached to all art show pieces is very
    important. It is more professional looking, and they provide the viewer
    added insight into the artist's process, thoughts and intentions. I use
    mailing labels for tags, and if I don't know the title, I either chase down
    the artist, or write "untitled" on the tag. It used to be difficult to find
    all those titles at art show time. My memory is very bad, and with younger
    artist's work, it's often hard to tell if it's a dog or an aardvark they
    painted. So the last couple years I've started asking the students what
    their piece if about, while they're creating them. I write their response
    right on the back, in pencil, and ask them if that's a good title. They love
    thinking up the titles as they work, and some of the titles are precious! A
    few K-2 titles on display right now include:
                "An Artist at the Salad Bar"
                "My Cat Never Has Kittens"
                "A Special Turtle Flying Over Three Little Green Houses"
                "A Bear That Lives In A Cave With Lots Of Rocks"
                "A Snake Eating Another Snake That Ate A Rat"

    Attendance used to be slim, so another thing I do, along with displaying
    examples of artwork from every student, is have a one hour talent show and
    call the night Spring Arts Night. It draws a full house, of both parents and
    community people who don't have kids in the school! The crowd enjoys the art
    before and after the show. We've had ballet dancers, a 7th grade rock band
    called The Bagels, piano recitals, a 5th grade magician who actually makes a
    rabbit appear then disappears, a 6th grader who does a great stand up comic
    act of her own stuff, a trumpet duet doing Stairway to Heaven, a gymnast,
    modern dance, and even a bunch of six 4th grade boys who wore tool belts and
    sang and dance routine to Macho Macho Man. The student council I puts it
    together over about 8 weeks, with minimal help from me. Dress rehearsal is
    an all school assembly a week or two before the Spring Arts Night. The kids
    talk about it all year, and attendance at the art show is much better and
    more attentive to the art than when combined with the Science Fair or Band
    Concert.

    Another very important detail is to invite the right people. I select a
    student drawing, or sometimes commission a drawing, then reproduce it as an
    invitation flyer with the details of the show. I plaster these all around
    town, send one home to every parent, and I send one to each town official
    and board of education member. Don't forget to write a press release and
    send it with an invitation flyer to the local press.

    Hope this helps. Have a great event!

    Mark Alexander
    K-12 Art
    Region One in northwestern Connecticut

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Dease, Christine <CDease.us>
    To: ArtsEdNet Talk <artsednet>
    Date: Tuesday, March 07, 2000 10:58 AM
    Subject: RE: art shows

    >On the labels I like to put "titles" that the students create. Often times
    >it gives the viewer a little insight into the meaning of the artwork.
    >
    >Chris Dease
    > 

    ---

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